Forgotten Memories
by Clairesse
Summary: Post AC. Cloud and Tifa blame their strange memory loss on a car crash. But why have all of Avalanche have forgotten the same thing? And who is the mysterious man making speeches against the Planet? Hints of YuffiexBarret and of CloudxTifa. An epic!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Authors Note: I don't own any of this stuff, it all belongs to Squaresoft. This is a flashback to Advent Children, describing part of the fight between Cloud and Sephiroth. It's going to turn into a full story, so keep checking back for updates!

The ring of clashing weapons filled the ruins of Midgar. Now and then, a foundation shaking rumble announced the collapse of a derelict building, and the flash of green light seconds before indicated that the destruction wasn't the natural erosion of time.

From a distance, the fight that was in motion could have been passed off as a mere squabble being settled by a duel, with a reward of property or money.

But this fight held in its balance a prize of a slightly more monumental scale.

The Planet.

An acute, piercing pain shrieked through Cloud Strife's right shoulder as his enemy's razor sharp sword, Masamune, sliced into him and hit bone.

He had been forced into a sitting position, with his back against a ruined wall. Cloud had been weakened by the strange aura that seemed to surround Sephiroth, and by sheer weariness from the fruitless chase that had brought him to face this foe.

He was only dimly aware of the cold metal throbbing inside his shoulder. Cloud's mind was on other things.

A chill despair crept over him. This was the end. For himself, for his friends, for the Planet.

Cloud's left hand groped blindly for the sword that was pinning him to the wall. Hot blood oozed onto his fingers and the sting increased. He could almost feel his foe's sadistic pleasure:

'Tell me what you cherish most.' Sephiroth purred in his rich baritone. 'Give me the pleasure of taking it away.'

Cloud was filled with a sudden deep fury, fuelled by fathomless hatred. A thousand thoughts filled his mind in less than a second.

Sephiroth had left him bereft of family and hometown. Bereft of future, and more recently, bereft of the only woman he had ever loved.

And now, Sephiroth was planning to destroy the life that Cloud had managed to scrape together after such a short time?

Cloud tore the blade out of his shoulder and leapt at Sephiroth with anger burning in every nerve. His enemy parried and dodged several overly violent onslaughts, surprise evident on his face.

'I pity you.' Cloud said quietly. 'You don't get it at all!' This was accompanied by a fierce thrust of his sword.

When Sephiroth remained bewilderedly silent, Cloud's rage was stoked to double strength. Images of all he loved flowed into his mind: AVALANCHE, Marlene and Denzel…Aeris.

Cloud's sword divided into the seven parts that made it up. He was left holding the main sword, while the other six blades moved to surround Sephiroth, illuminated by an eerie green glow.

From the stunned expression on his adversary's features, Cloud judged that Sephiroth knew: defeat was coming his way.

'There is nothing I don't cherish!' Cloud's words echoed through the deserted city, rebounding off the rubble that filled the streets.

The blades closed in on the silver haired 'Nightmare', and Cloud gave an aggressive slash with his sword, letting go of it so maximum damage could be inflicted. He somersaulted, and landed cleanly, just in time to catch his falling sword.

The six components of his weapon landed blades down in the ground in front of him.

Cloud looked up to see his childhood idol, now his greatest enemy suspended in the air with a single black wing swooping from his back.

Sephiroth had his eyes closed, and his mouth open slightly. Cloud relaxed and said more to himself than to the one winged angel above him;

'Stay where you belong. In my memories.'

The apparently dead being opened its eyes and glared down at the spiky haired hero below him. His expression changed from grimace to a scheming, gloating half-smirk.

'I will… never be a memory.' Sephiroth's rich tone did not change, even in defeat.

He enfolded himself in the single black wing, a gust of stagnant wind dispersing black feathers, and Sephiroth's form, into oblivion.

'I will…never be a memory.'

End of Prologue! Please review, even though this was just the prologue!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1: A Holiday.

'Cloud?'

Tifa's head was poked round the door of the living room.

'Are you okay?'

Cloud blinked. Tifa had been chatting to him for the past five minutes and he hadn't noticed.

'Just trying to remember the details of a particular event.'

Tifa raised an eyebrow, folded her arms and leaned against the plain wooden doorpost.

'And what 'event' is that?'

'Cloud shrugged. 'Oh, nothing. Just the time I fought Sephiroth in the ruins of Midgar.'

'Oh. I see. What details are you recalling?'

The blonde head shook. 'It doesn't matter. Do you think Sephiroth really is dead? Would he succumb to mere force? What did he mean by 'I will never be a memory'? Does that mean he will be back?'

Somewhat startled by this sudden rush of questions from a usually taciturn warrior that kept his worries and emotions locked up inside, Tifa did not answer immediately, but paused for a moment, thinking.

Eventually, after a period of completely wasted thought, she answered: 'I don't know.'

Sephiroth's last words could have meant a variety of things. It may have meant that he would be back, causing more fear and havoc than before, or… Tifa did not want to imagine what else that veiled threat could mean. She shuddered.

Cloud grunted, his hands tightening on the arms of the chair he was sitting in. He had noticed a change in Tifa over the past couple of days. She seemed doubtful… almost uncertain. He had caught her more than once in a dream like state, and when asked if anything was wrong, she would just purse her lips and shake her head.

It was much as Tifa had just found _him_.

Cloud gave a guilty cringe.

'You know what?' Tifa said suddenly, throwing herself on the chair opposite him.

Cloud looked at her warily. That cheery, yet determined tone of voice usually meant that she was about to propose something he wouldn't want to do.

'What?'

Tifa moistened her lips and beamed. 'I think what we both _really _need is a vacation.'

Cloud groaned inwardly. He had always thought of the words 'vacation' or 'holiday' as cleverly encrypted codes that really only meant hours of driving and lots of annoying people that he didn't know crowding round him, shouting about 'the kid who saved the Planet.' A holiday for him just _wasn't _ a holiday.

'Why?' he croaked.

Tifa leaned forward, looking into his eyes.

'You aren't yourself. I blame it on stress. That's why we're going to Mideel for an out-of-the-way, relaxing vacation.'

'Mideel?' Tifa's cheery composure and tactful thinking got the better of him. Cloud grinned. Tifa smiled, her maroon eyes sparkling.

'I knew you'd agree. But first we're going for a nice long scenic drive around the middle continent.'

Cloud's heart sank and his grin faded. Tifa sat back, clasping her hands on her knees.

'And I know you don' like driving, so I promise I'll take more than my fair share of the job. All right?'

Cloud nodded thoughtfully. 'I guess.'

'Good.' Tifa stood up, her mission accomplished. 'Go and pack. We'll leave tomorrow morning.'

End of Chapter 1! Please review, even though this was a short and badly written chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Divided Attention

A disgruntled Cloud was staring moodily out the window of Tifa's silver convertible as the towering mountains and lush grass near the Corel area sped past.

Cloud hated driving, but had only just decided that he loathed being driven around even more.

Tifa was smiling contentedly, watching the road only enough to make sure that they would not end up bumper first in a bush. She was enjoying the view as the road spiralled up into the mountains, and she felt truly relaxed, contrary to this time yesterday.

She allowed herself a sidelong glance at Cloud. He had his chin propped on his hand and was staring moodily out the window, apparently not taking in any of the breathtaking sights before him.

Cloud cleared his throat and looked at her with his crystalline blue eyes.

'Are we there yet?' he whined.

Tifa smirked. 'Oh, stop whining. You sound exactly like my little cousin Claire!'

That remark succeeded in not only stopping Cloud's whinging, but in sending him into a grumpy sulk that positively radiated indignation.

They rounded a bend, and suddenly the rugged mountain trail changed to a smooth, paved road winding down to a quaint, comfortable looking village.

North Corel had changed a lot since their last visit. The dirty, dusty tents that people had called their homes had been replaced with small, yet inviting houses. Almost all of them had a small plot of vegetables with a variety of fruit, vegetables or flowers growing in them.

The debris and large pieces of rubble that had been littered around were now incorporated into a large monument in the centre of the town, dedicated to the people that had died in the fire of Corel, but also to the member of AVALANCHE that had risked so much to save the town, and the Planet. The one that currently resided in Corel with his adopted daughter, Marlene. Namely, Barret Wallace.

'Do you want to go and see him?' Tifa asked as they passed the monument.

'Yeah, why not?'

It was not hard to find the house. It was the largest in the town, whitewashed with a slate roof and double glazed windows. A tricycle that was undoubtedly Marlene's was parked in the middle of the front lawn.

Tifa and Cloud parked the car and got out. The gravel underfoot crunched as they made their way up the short path to the varnished oak front door.

'Nice…' Tifa murmured as Cloud gave a few loud raps on the door. They waited for a moment, but there was no sound from within.

'He's probably at the Gold Saucer with Marlene.' Cloud said. 'Barret told me that they spent a lot of time there now.'

'Pity. I wanted to see them again' Tifa pouted.

Cloud started back up the path. 'We'll try again on the way back.' He was eager to get to Mideel as soon as possible. He had seen images of the exotic treehouses on TV, and though Tifa had sworn they had been there three years ago, Cloud had no memory of it.

He heard Tifa's light footsteps following behind him and quickened his pace to the driver's side of the car.

'I'll drive, really, it's fine.'

Tifa had managed to edge between Cloud and the door. 'Oh, no. I insist. You hate driving, so let me drive, please.' She flashed him her most charming smile.

Cloud gritted his teeth. She always got her own way when she did that, and this time was no different.

'All right.' He grudgingly consented and stomped round to the passenger's side.

There they were, in that same position that would last for the duration of the car journey. Cloud resting his chin on his fist, and Tifa glancing happily round at the scenery.

They started up the road to Mount Nibel, the road winding upwards. Tifa made sure to hug the rock face on their left, as on their right, the mountain was razed away in a sheer cliff face with an unpleasant drop.

As another, higher section of the mountain came into view, a large expanse of farmland filled with sweeping, rolling hills was laid out before them. A light heat haze shimmered round the hills, giving them an ethereal beauty.

Tifa gasped in wonder. Even Cloud raised his eyebrows slightly.

The brunette turned her attention back to the road. It was growing slightly misty, and she was not able to see very far ahead.

Suddenly, a tall, thin figure loomed in front of them. In panic, Tifa jolted the steering wheel sideways in order to avoid it, but though she missed the figure, she did not swerve back to the road in time, and felt the wheels of the car run off the edge of the precipice and into nothingness.

The windscreen tilted forward, showing the forest below coming nearer. Cloud was yelling something and shaking her shoulder, but Tifa was frozen and numb with horror. They were going to die and it was all her fault. She closed her eyes and swallowed as they were thrown against the windshield, the canopy of the forest getting closer every second. Her lungs were violently robbed of breath, and a roaring filled her ears as pain and unconsciousness slipped upon her.

End of Chapter 2. Pleeeeeeeeeaseeeee review!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3: Amnesia

Barret clattered around the kitchen preparing lunch for Marlene and himself; ham sandwiches. Now and then, he glanced uneasily into the adjacent bedroom where Cloud and Tifa lay unconscious.

Barret felt wholly worried by the incident. If he hadn't taken Marlene for a hike in the Nibel mountains, Cloud and Tifa would probably be dead.

He had seen the car hurtling towards him out of the mist, and had recognised the shocked countenance at the wheel as Tifa's. When the car had gone careering over the edge of the precipice, Barret had picked up Marlene and sprinted as fast as his brawny legs would carry him to the base of the structure. There, he discovered that the canopy of the forest had broken the vehicles fall, and that the car had tumbled out of a tree for the most part unharmed, but with its inhabitants unconscious.

He had managed to get them back to his house. That had been three days ago.

Barret looked in at the sleeping forms again for any sign of movement. He found none, except for the presence of Marlene covering both their brows with damp cloths.

The bulky man sighed and turned back to buttering the sandwiches.

Suddenly, an alarmed voice emanated from the bedroom.

'Papa… Cloud is moving!'

Barret threw down the butter knife and quickly lumbered his way through the cluttered kitchen to the room in which Marlene was standing, looking anxiously down at the spiky haired being on the bed.

Cloud was shifting his upper body slightly, and flexing his fingers weakly.

'Cloud?' Barret reached out and touched his shoulder with uncharacteristic gentleness.

Cloud opened his eyes so that he was squinting up at his old friend.

'Where am I?' he murmured softly.

Barret regained his tough, good natured form.

'You're at my house in Corel, Spiky! You owe me a life debt now, and I won't be forgettin' it!'

Cloud smiled weakly. Suddenly, his aquamarine eyes widened and he sat bolt upright.

'Tifa! Is she…?'

'Look to your left.' Barret said gruffly, biting a fingernail. Cloud did so, and beheld the limp form of Tifa on the bed beside him.

This, however, did not seem to satisfy.

'Is she all right? She hasn't been seriously injured, has she?'

Barret grunted. 'The doctor says she just needs rest. Her condition is the same as yours.'

'Then why isn't she awake yet!' Cloud demanded. He was irrational with worry.

'Relax.' Barret pushed him back down into a lying position. 'Let her sleep. She has no serious injury, apart from being knocked about a bit. Let her sleep, man!'

Cloud sighed and nodded. Settling back down, he closed his eyes and drifted off.

Barret looked fondly down at his dormant comrades. He then turned his gaze to Marlene, who had been silent throughout the whole exchange.

The little girl smiled trustingly at him. 'I'm glad Cloud's all right.'

Barret looked relieved. 'So am I, honey. Hey, your friend should be here soon.'

Marlene grinned impiously. 'She's _your _friend too, papa.'

Barret's face turned a shade of red. He had no idea that his adopted daughter could be so perceptive.

'Yeah, Yuffie is my friend.'

'Papa, what's with the hesitation?' Marlene said in mock innocence. 'I thought you _liked _her. You even said you were going to _propose _an outing for dinner with her.'

'Marlene!' Barret snapped briskly.

'I was just asking…' The nine year old muttered, before slinking off to prepare her own sandwich.

The well built man shook his head. The female species was a mystery to him. They could either read minds, or he was making his feelings for the happy-go-lucky ninja too obvious. Also, they liked to tease. The information that had been gleaned from his mind by Marlene had just been used against him, that much was apparent. He would be on his guard from now on.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Barret made his way back through to the kitchen, but light, quick footsteps in the porch announced that Marlene had got to the door first.

'Hi, Marlene!' A cheery, girlish voice filled the house. Marlene squealed as the skinny, black haired 19 year old swung her around and set her back on the ground.

'How're Cloud and Tifa?' Yuffie asked Marlene, kneeling down so they were face to face.

This was why she and Yuffie were so close, Marlene thought. Yuffie treated her as an equal, not as some ignorant child, as Barret did. Marlene knew more than she let on.

'Cloud woke up a while ago, but he's asleep again. And Tifa hasn't woken up yet…' Marlene's voice trailed off.

Yuffie rose back to her full height. 'Right.'

Barret peered shyly out into the hall. The ninja's grey eyes flicked to his bulky physique.

'Hey, Barret!' Yuffie gave a jovial wave.

Barret returned the warm greeting with nothing more than a grunt and a nonchalant wave of his hand. He had never been good at expressing feelings.

Just then, an interruption occurred in the form of Tifa's voice to shatter the awkward silence.

'I'm sorry, Cloud!'

They hurried into the bedroom to find Tifa clinging to Cloud, the latter patting the formers shoulder awkwardly.

Tifa opened her eyes to see a man with a gun arm, a little girl and a thin ninja crowding in the doorway looking concerned. She hurriedly let go of Cloud, embarrassed.

'Barret, Yuffie, Marlene. I didn't see you come in.'

Barret took a step forward. 'You feelin' better?' He asked kindly.

'I think so. Feeling a little guilty, I guess. It was all my fault.'

'Nah, you was spooked by somethin'. I know you. You wouldn't be that careless on purpose.' He grinned.

'Why are you arguing over whose fault it is!' said Yuffie incredulously. 'Geez… The air reeks of selflessness. What a stink!'

The ninja went to exit the room, but turned before she was fully out of sight.

'I'm glad you guys are fully conscious, though.'

Cloud and Tifa laughed nervously. Barret cleared his throat.

'So, no memory loss or anything? I mean, you were knocked about quite a bit.'

Cloud frowned. 'Don't think so. Tif?'

A crease appeared between Tifa's eyebrows.

'Cloud, who was the person that summoned Meteor?'

Cloud raised an eyebrow. 'Of all the things to forget… It was…'

The ex mercenary's mouth opened and shut again.

'Wha…? Barret, who was it?'

'Cloud! You know full well who it was! It was…Er…Hm… Good question.'

Cloud looked disappointed. 'But Barret, you didn't even hit your head. You must remember. You're only joking, right?

Barret lowered his eyes. 'Dammit, Cloud! Would I joke about somethin' like that!'

Tifa was getting worried. 'How could we all forget something as crucial as that? Ask Yuffie. She's the little know-it-all of AVALANCHE.'

Barret exited the room, and Tifa heard the murmur of voices. The large man returned a few moments later with a bemused looking ninja.

'Yuffie don't recall anythin' either.'

Tifa smiled and gave a quick sigh to hide her worry.

'Maybe it's nothing. Maybe we've all just put the past behind us.' She said lightly. The others looked dubious. Tifa cleared her throat.

'Why don't w all go to the Gold Saucer?' It doesn't matter that we've forgotten. We shouldn't even be thinking abut the past.'

Everyone gave a general murmur of affirmation.

End of Chapter 3! REVIEW! Tell me what you thought! Chapter 4 coming ..soon..


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: Don't Look Back.

The tee like form of the Gold Saucer swam into view in all its glory. As the vehicle on the ropeway drew closer, Yuffie could make out the gigantic Ferris wheel, complimented by the spiralling roller coaster that swooped to pass the colourful chocobo racing tracks. The Haunted Hotel frowned above the neon signs that announced the Wonder Square, which was juxtaposed to the Event Square for minimum walking distance and optimum thrill. All this was adorned with perpetual illumination by a continuous stream of multicoloured fireworks.

Yuffie gawked in amazement. It looked even more wonderful than the previous two times she had been there. Both of the previous visits had been marred by the knowledge that Sephiroth was 'out there' and though she had not appeared in the slightest bit anxious on the outside, internally she was cowering in fear and doubt like the small child that her father thought her to be.

The vehicle shuddered to a halt at the end of a tunnel that entered a moogle's mouth. The group disembarked and were immediately pinned down by a grumpy looking member of staff.

'Tickets are 3000 gil per person. You can buy a lifetime pass for 30,000 gil. Or have you already got one?'

He said all this very fast and in a thick Wutian accent. Fortunately, Yuffie could decipher what he was saying, and abruptly answered:

'We all have lifetime passes. And it's free for a child.'

The member of staff looked at her as if she had two heads.

'Would you be so kind as to show them to me?'

The friends drew out their tickets from various purses, wallets and pockets. The guard peered at them suspiciously through his grime encrusted glasses, then waved them through with a distinct air of bitterness.

'Where do you wanna go first!' Marlene and Yuffie said in unison, bouncing up and down. Cloud, surprisingly, answered the question.

'Why don't we go and watch the chocobo races?' he suggested.

There was a general murmur of agreement to this, with the exception of Marlene;

'Promise we'll go to the Wonder Square afterwards?'

They arrived at the dome where the viewpoints for the races and the chocobo themed gift shop were situated. Lights flashed in a pattern around a glaring neon sign stating 'Chocobo Racing' beside which was a lit up logo bearing the semblance of one of the large yellow birds.

The compeer's voice blared out all around the dome.

'They're coming to the finish line! This could be a close one, folks! Rade and Teio are neck on neck! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand… Teio is victorious! That is one marvellous chocobo, folks. Only lost one race in his entire class S career!

'Aw, we missed it.' Tifa managed to laugh and look slightly crestfallen at the same time. 'The next one is in an hour.'

'We can have a look in the gift shop.' Cloud indicated toward a large room bursting with posters, plush toys and other things to do with the cheerful yellow fowl.

Marlene skipped ahead and stared wistfully at a particularly chubby plush toy. Yuffie followed shortly after, and began poring over the posters. Barret trudged to the door and stood sullenly gazing into space. Cloud walked easily over to the trading cards, while Tifa looked at an offer on chocolate chocobos:

'Choco-Chocobos! Three for the price of two! Chocobos going cheap!

Tifa had just finished laughing at this awful joke when Marlene dragged her over to the stuffed toys. The slogan above the shelves of fuzzy yellow birds stated:

'Fancy a cute, cuddly chocobo? Not allowed to steal one from the jockeys? Now you can have your very own fuzzy chocobo to take home! Chocobos will never be just a memory now! They'll be a memoir!'

Something flickered in Tifa's mind. Like a half formed thought that had been pushed away, she couldn't quite pin it down. 'Never be a memory?' She shrugged and turned to Marlene.

'Shall I buy you one of these?'

Marlene beamed and nodded vigorously. Tifa took one of the soft toys to the counter and paid the exorbitant 50 gil that was due.

'Thank you, Tifa!' Marlene snatched the cuddly chocobo from Tifa's grasp. 'Can we go to the Wonder Square now?'

'In a minute, Marlene. I think Cloud is going to buy some chocobo trading cards.'

Cloud was striding purposefully up to the counter with several packs of trading cards.

Tifa leaned to whisper in the little girl's ear.

'He used to be an ardent collector when we were children. It's really good that he's getting back into it.'

Marlene looked thrilled with this useful piece of information.

'Hey Barret, wanna go on the ferris wheel?' Yuffie was hovering around the muscled man, trying to coax him either into conversation, or onto the ferris wheel. Barret shrugged silently, averting his eyes.

'Aw, come on! It would give us a chance to talk! You never talk to me, Barret!'

'I do!' Barret snapped indignantly. His heart was pounding. Myrna, his late wife, had said that to him the day before the Fire of Corel. 'You never talk to me, Barret!'

He was jerked out of nostalgia by a small, soft hand taking his own large, rough one and hauling him toward the tunnel leading to the ferris wheel.

'Wha?'

The small ninja was obviously very determined, and possessed astonishing physical strength if she was able to pull Barret along. Or was the large man going willingly?

Tifa smiled at Barret's retreating back merging with the crowd.

'Meet back here in an hour!' she called, though she doubted that they had heard.

Marlene was jumping up and down, looking pointedly toward the Wonder Square. Tifa sighed. 'Okay, let's go. Cloud, are you coming?'

Cloud was staring dreamily at a chocobo that had just passed by. 'Nah.. I think I'll have a word with a few of the jockeys. Old friends from when I used to race, you know?'

About a year and a half ago, Cloud had taken up chocobo racing. He had enjoyed it immensely, and even won a few medals.

'When the compeer said that Teio had only been beaten once?' Cloud grinned roguishly. 'Well…ha, ha. Hey, meet me back here in an hour. You can watch the next race, and you may be surprised…'

Intrigued, Tifa nodded and set off with Marlene.

The Wonder Square was everything the title made it out to be. It was a colourful arcade filled with all the amusements and arcade games imaginable ; including virtual wrestling, basketball games and fortune telling.

Outside the arcade was a quiet, twilit space dotted with benches. Public speakers, or salesmen would sometimes come here to tell people of their cause, thus taking advantage of the gullibility of the crowds that swarmed to the Wonder Square.

Today, a man with long, obviously dyed brown hair was talking to a mesmerised crowd. He was well built, with broad shoulders and a thin waist. His back was turned to where Marlene and Tifa stood, so they wandered round to get a clear view of his face.

The tall man had a rich, crooning voice that succeeded in focusing the most wandering of attention spans. There was a haunting hint of familiarity in it.

Tifa looked up at the man's face. Yes, she had definitely seen him somewhere before. Emerald green eyes met mahogany ones, and a flood of memories sprang back to Tifa.

Sephiroth!

What was he doing in the Gold Saucer? Shouldn't he be dead? Tifa was sure he wasn't here for fun. What was he up to?

She tried to listen to what he was saying without being washed into the zombified vortex that seemed to have overcome the others in the crowd.

'This Planet tortures its inhabitants. Poverty, starvation, natural disasters… Even when you die, it will go on tormenting you in the Lifestream. We must fight it! Never give in to its scattered beauties! Focus your minds against it…and you will help to stop the torment of generations to come!'

Tifa jerked her head in disgust. Cloud…she had to warn him.

'Marlene, there is something important I have to tell Cloud. We can come to the Wonder Square later, okay?'

Marlene looked doubtful. 'Okay…'

Such a gracious child! Tifa took the little girl's hand and sprinted back to the chocobo dome.

They found Cloud in deep discussion with Teio's rather chubby jockey. Tifa lingered like a bad smell until Cloud noticed she was there.

'Tifa. It's only been fifteen minutes. What's up?'

'Cloud…' she panted. 'Sephiroth…At the Wonder Square.'

Cloud frowned. 'Sephiroth? Who-?' His eyes widened. 'Gaia! He IS still alive!'

A realisation dawned on Tifa. 'He must have erased himself from the memories of AVALANCHE so we wouldn't recognise him! He didn't do a very good job… But that's what he meant by 'I will never be a memory!'

Cloud's breath hissed between his teeth. He ran his hand through his tangled hair.

'Clever… But what is he doing in the Gold Saucer? I'm assuming he isn't here to ride the roller coaster.'

Even with the seriousness of the situation, Tifa couldn't suppress a giggle. She had sudden visions of Sephiroth sitting beside a small child on the roller coaster, or the silver haired 'Nightmare' happily riding a clucking chocobo.

'He's telling everyone how the Planet torments its people. Original stuff like that.'

Cloud looked grim. 'We're going to the Wonder Square.'

End of Chapter 4. PLEASE Review, and tell me what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Not a Memory?

Marlene hurried to catch up with Tifa. She didn't understand a thing that was happening. Why the sudden rush to go and see this corrupted man? Who was this 'Sephiroth' anyway? She was sure she would be denied an answer if she posed this question to any of her friends, even Yuffie.

Marlene felt like a piece of extra baggage- something that didn't belong and was just weighing the others down.

Where were Barret and Yuffie? If Cloud thought this man to be important, then surely Barret and Yuffie should see him too? Marlene's mind spun with a thousand questions.

The Gold Saucer seemed suddenly darker, less friendly. Smiling moogles now grimaced down at her, and the light, high spirited music seemed as joyless as a funeral march. Whatever the significance of this man they were going to see, it was not benign.

Marlene felt suddenly afraid as they drew near their destination. She wanted the protective, comforting presence of Barret near her, keeping her safe.

'Papa…' she moaned softly, running to keep on a level with Tifa.

Cloud strode swiftly into the twilit area of the Wonder Square. Barret and Yuffie were there already, licking ice cream, holding hands and scowling up with hatred at the 'Nightmare'.

Cloud walked over to the couple, half listening to what Sephiroth was saying. Barret threw the blonde ex-mercenary a significant glance, which was retuned with a nod.

'We can't confront him in front of all these people.' Cloud murmured. 'And brute force didn't work the last time.' He gritted his teeth.

'We need something more…' Tifa clenched her fists.

'But he's so darn close!' Barret held his gun arm.

'And still against the Planet.' Yuffie licked her ice cream.

Marlene wanted to cry. What had started as a fun filled visit to the Gold Saucer was rapidly turning into a nightmare. The others had obviously seen this strange man before, and held some sort of grudge against him. But what for? Why?

'If you want more information about all this; the Planet, why it is against us and how we fight back, I will be in or around Nibelheim. I bid you farewell.' With a swirl of his cloak, Sephiroth melted into thin air.

Tumultuous applause erupted around the five friends. They looked round in disgust at the inspired faces of the crowd, then promptly ducked out of sight into the arcade.

Barret, Yuffie, Cloud and Tifa exchanged meaningful looks. Marlene rolled her eyes. She couldn't take this any more. She sloped off and proceeded to play the 'Mog House' videogame.

'Well, what do we do?' asked Barret, breaking the silence.

'Do we have to do anything?!' Yuffie wailed.

'Yes.' Tifa said quietly. 'If we stop him now, he won't be able to corrupt any more innocent minds; corrupt thoughts that loathe the Planet will start to disrupt the flow of the Lifestream. And I want revenge for what he did to my father and my friends.'

'I want revenge too.' Whispered Cloud. 'And I reckon we can safely say that force won't kill him.'

The others agreed.

'Well we can't stay _here _and discuss what we're gonna do about Sephiroth.' Said Yuffie. 'For all we know, he could be listening to every word we've been speaking. We should either relax and have fun here, or go back to Barret's house and think.'

End of Chapter 5. Please review and tell me what you think, even though this was a shorter chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

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Chapter 6: Thinking.

Back at the house, the friends racked their brains, but to no avail. It seemed that Sephiroth was a plague destined to slowly kill the Planet, and remain there until it died. In despair, Tifa started to read a book entitled 'Inspiring Quotes' in the forlorn hope that it would yield a few ideas.

'Ohhh…' Yuffie was holding her head and scribbling fervently on a notepad. Tifa very much doubted that it had anything to do with Sephiroth.

Cloud was sitting quietly in a corner, staring sternly into space.

'I thought this was all over when we fought in Midgar. I thought I had attained my revenge.' He covered his face with his hands.

'So did we all, Cloud.' Barret patted his shoulder kindly. Several sighs came from the inhabitants of the room. Tifa returned to what she was reading.

'_To achieve, you must believe.' 'Truth is a sword that can smite your enemies.'_

Tifa gasped. The truth! Sephiroth had no idea of his true origins! He was convinced that Jenova was an Ancient and his mother, and his only thought was to take the Planet back for the Cetra. Jenova was using Sephiroth as a puppet to destroy the Planet, for whatever reason. The point was, that if Sephiroth knew the truth about himself and his 'mother', the alien life-form Jenova, then they could possibly stop him from injuring the Planet's spirit.

Tifa recounted this miraculous revelation to the others. Cloud and Yuffie nodded interestedly; 'I see where you're coming from.'

Barret looked serious. 'He said he'd be 'in or around Nibelheim', right?'

Tifa gave a nod. 'Yeah. But he isn't going to listen to _us._ I mean, we were against him from the start.'

'We need someone innocent.' Said Cloud. 'And someone that Sephiroth saw listening in the crowd.'

'Marlene?' Yuffie suggested tentatively.

Barret leapt up. 'There ain't no way I'm puttin' Marlene in danger like that!'

'She's more mature than you know.' Yuffie said in a low voice. 'She can fend for herself, and this is important. Besides, she should be allowed a taste of adventure before everything goes peaceful again.'

Barret looked outraged. 'Y...Guh…' he spluttered.

'Yuffie is right, you know.' A confident voice spoke out from behind the bookcase. Marlene's small form stepped out, defiance written in every move. 'I'll do it.'

Barret stared at her. 'But Marlene, you're only little. Sephiroth could squish you like a bug.' He shuddered at the thought.

'Papa, I'm nine years old…'

'And he couldn't pulverise you the way he slaughtered all those adults in Nibelheim eight years ago?' Barret flared.

Determination and courage shone in Marlene's bright eyes. 'I want to do my part for the Planet.'

Helplessly, the bulky man turned to Cloud and Tifa. They were beaming at Marlene and nodding encouragingly.

'Gyah…' Barret stormed out of the room, disappointed in his friends.

'But Sephiroth isn't just going to listen to me.' Mused Marlene. 'We need more evidence.'

All eyes turned to Tifa, who was now regarded as the intellectual of the group.

'Well…' she started. 'Is there a copy of his birth certificate anywhere?'

'Vincent might have one, due to his connection with Lucrecia.' Cloud piped up.

'But where to find Vincent?' Tifa frowned. Yuffie started digging in her small bag. She kept the details of her friends, family and other connections in there, just in case anything like this ever happened.

'Found it!!' She triumphantly held up a small scrap of yellow paper.

'Found what?' Yuffie's friends did not know her well enough, judging by their blank expressions.

'Vincent's cell phone number, of course!' The ninja looked intently at the scrap of paper, then swiftly drew her own phone out of her bag and began dialling at a rapid pace. The others stared at her for a moment, exasperated, then fell into their own silent thoughts.

'Of course.' Cloud shattered the pensive silence. ' A birth certificate would have details of parentage, place of birth, everything.'

'Sshh!' Yuffie put a finger to her lips, then chirped happily into the phone: 'Hi, Vince! Yuffie here!'

Cloud rolled his eyes. Yuffie really didn't have to tell him that she was the one calling. Primarily due to the fact that no one else would ever dare to call the vampiric man 'Vince'. Cloud returned to eavesdropping.

'Do you perchance have Sephiroth's birth certificate? Did Lucrecia perchance give it to you?'

Marlene frowned and Cloud groaned inwardly. Sensitivity was a trait that Yuffie lacked at times, not to mention tact.

'Really?! That's good! Lucky! We need to borrow it, if that's okay. Where are you now?'

Tifa shook her head. It was all going too smoothly.

'Near the Gold Saucer? Perfect! We're at Barret's house in Corel. Drop it off as soon as you can okay? Right. Bye!'

The ninja pressed a button on her phone and looked around at her comrades.

'He says tomorrow night at the latest.'

'Wow, that's fast.' Cloud commented.

'Yeah…'

It was getting dark outside. The calls of wild birds adjourning to their nests pierced the silence of the soft, smouldering sunset.

Cloud had left the room to reason with Barret, while Yuffie and Tifa recounted to Marlene the horrors of the Nibelheim incident and the wayward events of their quest three years ago.

The quiet little girl gasped at regular intervals, but Yuffie could see the blaze of determination inside her flaring and dancing after each sharp intake of breath.

After their tale, Marlene stayed quiet for a time, pondering their words. When she looked up at them, Tifa imagined that she could see a shadow of fear in those soulful eyes, but it was quickly dispelled by the light of hope.

'So Sephiroth doesn't know anything about who he really is?' she asked. 'And his father Hojo is dead. But is Lucrecia alive?'

Tifa looked unsure and Yuffie shrugged.

'We don't know. You could ask Vincent when he arrives. But try and ask in a _tactful_ way. He's depressed enough without that.' Tifa hurled an exasperated glance at Yuffie. Marlene grinned as she saw this.

'I'll try.'

'Now.' Tifa leaned so she was face to face with Marlene. 'I suspect it's your bedtime.'

Marlene immediately rose up in plaintive protest: 'Aw, Tifa! It's early, and I won't be able to sleep now, anyway!'

If Marlene thought the motherly woman was to be won over so easily, she was very wrong. Tifa looked stern.

'It's eleven o' clock! Four hours past your usual bedtime. Now get some rest.'

'Yes, Tifa.' Said Marlene contritely, before trotting upstairs muttering to herself.

'Phew.' Tifa passed a hand over her brow. 'Didn't think that would take so long.'

'Na,' Yuffie said carelessly. 'Even the journey three years ago was shorter than the way you told it.' She gave a sly grin.

Tifa rolled her eyes. 'Well you didn't help much, always interrupting. It was Marlene that should have been interrupting, not you.'

Yuffie stared innocently at her. 'But Tifa, you know how I am. Inquisitive and intelligent.'

Tifa snorted.

'I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow.'

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End of Chapter 6. Sorry about the strange spacing in some of the paragraphs, my computer did something funny and I don't know how to fix it. (there it goes again..) Anyway.. review please!! I want to know what you think so far! 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 7: Certification

That night, Tifa had a very troubled sleep. Just as she thought she had drifted off, the events of Nibelheim came back to haunt her, jolting her frequently back into consciousness with cries of terror at these increasingly vivid nightmares. When the first rays of sunlight filtered through the curtains, Tifa was huddled in a corner, re-reading 'Inspiring Quotes', occasionally glancing round the room.

Tifa had been thinking about the decision that had been made the previous night. She didn't doubt that Marlene had the courage to see the task through to the end, but the way Barret had said 'Sephiroth could squish her like a bug!' was bothering her. How could they ensure that the Nightmare would listen to her? Sephiroth had to have a weakness. All humans had one. But the question was, was Sephiroth human? In part. But a fraction of him was made up of alien matter, cells that were multiplying every second. Did that mean he had no weakness?

Hazy thoughts chased each other dreamily round Tifa's mind, lack of sleep acting as friction against them, sending Tifa into a bleary doze. There she was found by Marlene an hour or so later, snoring softly and drooling onto 'Inspiring Quotes'.

'Tifa!' Marlene touched the soft skinned shoulder gently.

'Mmm…wha?' Tifa croaked vaguely, raising her head slightly.

'Tifa! Vincent has arrived!'

The brunette was instantly alert. She looked up at Marlene in astonishment, threw aside the copy of 'Inspiring Quotes', and made some show of trying to get up, eventually having to be hauled to her feet by Marlene due to extreme stiffness and absence of energy.

The little girl proceeded to inform Tifa that Vincent had arrived around thirty minutes ago. The vampire-like man had been talking to Cloud and Yuffie, and when Tifa had not emerged, Marlene had left in search of her.

Barret was still in a huff, and all Cloud's coaxing would not entice him out of it, so he had been left to his own devices.

Tifa yawned and rubbed her bloodshot eyes, which had dark bags under them from exhaustion. She allowed herself to be led down to the living room by Marlene, and there encountered the deep personality and red eyes that were Vincent.

The red cloaked man looked sharply up as she ambled peaceably into the room.

'As poised and alert as a cat.' Tifa thought with respect.

When the black haired man saw that it was her, he relaxed. But Tifa didn't. Those blood red eyes were piercing, penetrating her very soul. She looked away, and focused her attention instead on Yuffie, who was not only wearing a ridiculously low top, but was looking speculatively at an A4 piece of card that looked very much like a certificate of some kind.

'Good morning, Tifa.' Vincent looked somewhat quizzical. Tifa gave a cringe.

'Hi, Vincent. You're early. You said you would arrive tonight.'

'At the latest.' Vincent put strong stress on these words.

'Right…'

Yuffie finally looked up at Tifa, who had been trying to catch her attention while talking to the ex Turk.

Everyone seemed to want to remain hushed while in Vincent's unobtrusive presence. It was not that they were afraid of the ex assassin, it was mostly due to the enigmatic aura that the quiet man emitted; the obvious presence of deep thought and wounds behind those crimson eyes. He wore solitude and philosophy as he did his cloak.

Yuffie's expression changed slightly into a look that said 'what?'

Tifa indicated the paper in her hand with a nod of her head. Yuffie looked from it to Tifa and back again before she comprehended.

'Oh!' she said aloud. 'The birth certificate! Here, have a look.' Yuffie handed the piece of card to the tall woman.

It was written in an eloquent, flowing script giving details of Sephiroth Crescent and of his parentage. The border was adorned with intertwining silver and gold threads, some of which were a little frayed.

Tifa wondered how Lucrecia had felt when she had learned about her son. Her despair at hearing of his death, and of Vincent's unwillingness to tell her otherwise. She felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Vincent.

Tifa handed the birth certificate back to Yuffie and asked in a complex sign language involving a lot of mouthing where Barret was. Yuffie answered in a less complex but equally unintelligible signing: 'Watching TV in the lounge.'

Tifa sighed and traipsed across the hall to said lounge. There she found Barret sullenly flicking through channels looking very tense and irate.

'..Barret?' She said cautiously, putting her head round the door. The large man did not answer, but began pressing the buttons on the remote control with greater pressure.

'Barret, it's the only way. We'll make sure Marlene doesn't get hurt.'

The muscular man gritted his teeth. With a sickening crack, the remote snapped in half. Tifa's eyes widened and she retreated with a frightened squeak. Barret was in the worst mood she had seen him in since their first visit to the Gold Saucer. She slipped quietly back across the hall, acting on a proverb from 'Inspiring Quotes': 'Better to be safe than sorry.'

Barret would crack soon, like the remote control. That much was obvious. And when Barret's anger was released, even an eruption at the North Crater could not equal its intensity.

The brunette girl sighed. Now that they had proof of Sephiroth's parentage, they had to move fast. The Nightmare could move at any time. He may, even now, have left his presumed location of 'in or around Nibelheim'. She just hoped that Marlene was ready.

Tifa re-entered the living room to find everyone taciturn. The scant conversation that had flickered briefly had obviously fizzled out: Cloud and Vincent had never been talkers, and Marlene and Yuffie had been sobered up by their lack of enthusiasm.

She cleared her throat to announce her presence. All eyes turned to her; whether it was a lazy glance (Vincent) or a stare of interest, all asked the same question: 'Well?'

Tifa answered it abruptly with a toss of her head.

'I really don't think Barret is too happy.'

Understatement of the era.

'…And I don't think he will be coming to Nibelheim with us.'

Cloud stood up. 'When are we going?' His voice held a bitter undertone.

Yuffie clenched her fists and got to her feet: 'I think we should go ASAP. We don't want Sephy going AWOL.'

Marlene laughed nervously: 'What's with all the acronyms?'

'As soon as possible…' Vincent silenced the giggling child. 'We don't know for certain how he will react when we show him details of his birth. Disbelief, rage, violence; we don't know.'

Cloud and Tifa shook their heads in unison.

'But it's worth a shot.'

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End of Chapter 6! Please review! I want to know what you thought! 


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